The very first time I ever heard of Morrissey was on an airplane. I was young, and I sat next to a record label executive. Naturally he was hit with an intense game of 20 questions from me, the tiny music nerd, one of which was about the worst thing he’d ever had to do for the biz. He replied, “Work with Morrissey.”

I also remember the first time I ever actually paid any attention to Morrissey. It was my freshman year of college, and my friend Juan loaded up my computer with every Smiths song ever made. I couldn’t listen to anything else for months.

Despite the fact that you’d have to walk on eggshells just to be near him (Wait is that animal cruelty?), his music has an addictive quality that I know many of you can’t shake either. You know that you have a problem when you are crying about Morrissey over Mother’s Day brunch. Yes that really happened, yes it was me, and yes it was this year.

So let’s raise a glass to the Pope of Mope on his 56th birthday. Whether you are blaming rhino extinction on Beyonce or demanding a vegan food court, we love you.

1) Let’s start out with the reason we are all here, The Smiths. Every Smiths song is my favorite Smiths song, but this one means a lot to me in particular because it was actually the first song that I heard outside of mainstream radio, yes I remember! “Girl Afraid” -caitiebee

2) You won’t see “Shakespeare’s Sister” on many essential Smiths lists, but it’s one of my all-time favorites and also the first I ever heard (sniff) –rye

3) Active during the same era, The Wedding Present garnered their fair share of comparisons to The Smiths, but often wrote songs with a greater sense of aggression and urgency. So let’s hear a particularly Smithsian one, “Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft” –rye

4) Sir Elton understands the importance of a sad song. Though Morrissey has said in the past, “Bring me the head of Elton John…which is one instance in which meat would not be murder, if it were served on a plate.” Harsh! Here’s Elton John’s song “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” -caitiebee

5) The artist known as Jobriath is said to have heavily influenced a young Steven Patrick Morrissey. Indulge in “Take Me I’m Yours“, the opener of his first album –rye

6) While we’re excited for Morrissey’s FYF set, we realize it’d be a fool’s errand to get our hopes up, given the man’s well documented history of tour cancellations. Here’s one from a group with a Moz influence: “Cancel On Me” by Bombay Bicycle Club –rye

7) And then there’s those bands that I love mainly in part because they sound like The Smiths. Case in point – Merchandise. Love these guys. Here’s “Enemy“. -caitiebee